How to write despite real life issues

Everybody goes through hard times. It's a fact of life, and it's one of the many reasons why people come to CYS. For an escape.
 

But sometimes, stuff happens, and your getaway can be impacted by your personal circumstances. Plenty of established writers here can tell you that they had to pause their writing in order to deal with things happening in their home/school/work lives. Go to any contest forum, and chances are there's at least one guy who dropped out because something bad happened in his personal life, and can't meet the deadline. Heck, I've been that guy, in at least two contests. 
 

The reasons are all over the spectrum, from having to work/study too much to finish the contest, to being run over by a car cause your wheelchair hit a pothole while you were crossing the street. Regardless of what's happening, it really can be a difficult experience. When the pile of stress begins to impact your escape from stress, and your reputation as a writer, it can feel especially maddening.

But what if I were to tell you there was a way to make your real life situations work for you?

After all, if your character isn't some one-dimensional billboard cutout, odds are they're going to have emotions of some kind. A well rounded protagonist feels a variety of emotions, just like you! As mentioned above, plenty of people here have felt the frustration, the rage, the similarities to being a rat stuck in a maze as that deadline gets closer and your boss is texting you with a double shift request (read: thinly veiled demand) after you just got off the phone with the insurance company. As long as your protagonist and side characters are not a bunch of angsty emo teenagers who only feel those emotions, it's a good way to get the readers to empathize with your story.

Wondering how to do that? Here's some valuable tips:

Compartmentalize your emotions: writing down every single thing you're thinking and feeling is a fantastic idea.... if you're writing in a private journal. While it may come highly recommended for therapeutic reasons, it's not exactly the best way to go about writing a coherent storygame. Learning to separate and recognize your emotions and what is causing them is a good first step toward implementing the emotions in a situation where a character would reasonably be feeling the emotion. For example, your character feeling immense frustration at a major obstacle towards a larger goal rather than a minor obstacle towards a smaller goal. Feeling like the world is out to get you makes sense when a flesh eating giant is standing between you and the elixir you need to cure your mother's terminal illness, but not when the neighbor's son cut in line at the ice cream truck. 
 

Managimg your time: Here we come to another thing I have had issues with in the past: learning not just how to write, but when to write. A lot of people say that all they do is work and sleep, but is that really true? Or hyperbole? For example, examine how you get to work. If you're the one driving, or walking, then maybe writing your story game isn't the best idea at that moment. But if you are getting a ride with a friend, or taking the bus, why not use that time to write a bit? After all, not all storygames on here are 100,000-word epics. There are plenty of respectable storygames here that are 10k to 50k words, and in a contest where the deadline is two months out, that couple hundred words every day can become a huge portion of your story. 
 

Another thing I have to point out: managing your time wisely isn't just finding ways to allow for more writing time. It also involves making good use of the writing time that you currently have. When you look at the forums, you will see plenty of people who have written thousands upon thousands of words in their posting, commenting on everything from other people's work to how they liked the newest movie out in theaters. While this is not inherently a bad thing, as feedback and user interaction is necessary for any writing community to thrive, these same people ultimately turn up at the contest deadline with no valid entry. Now, had they written 30,000 words on a story game, instead of 30,000 words commenting on posts, the outcome may have been vastly different. Another major example (although thankfully less rare) is the guy who joins a contest, then posts 2,400 words (I counted) complaining about the rules of the contest and how toxic everyone is, before bowing out for personal reasons. If you had the time to write that, you had the time to write a chapter. 
 

Handle your business: While this may not be so feasible when writing during a contest, there are plenty of people (myself included) who have taken a sabbatical from writing in order to focus on their personal development. On a personal note, I struggled with alcoholism and drug abuse for two years, and had to completely hit the brakes so that I could get clean and rebuild my life. Maybe it's not so dramatic for you. Perhaps you need to pick up an extra shift to get that bill paid or have some spending money? Maybe there's a family member you haven't seen in a while? Go do that. This site and your storygame will still be here when you get back. Unless something catastrophic happens, in which case it's not gonna matter if you wrote your story or not. 

But what if it's a contest? Well, good question. I would strongly suggest you find the time to write a valid entry in accordance with site standards, even if it means you risk your chances of winning. Better to be seen as a competent writer than the Pit of Shame. 

But always remember: real life is more important. If you have to choose between meeting the deadline and making enough to pay your rent, get the rent paid. If you have to choose between the Pit of Shame and picking up your child after school, what are you still doing here? Go get that little slugger! At the end of the day, there is no true shame in making sure you and your loved ones take priority over winning an internet contest. And anyone who says otherwise clearly does not care about you or your work enough for their opinion to be of any consequence. 
 

Enjoy yourself: Sometimes we get so wrapped up in meeting all our time limits on and off the site that it only adds to our stress factor. We forget why we came here: to enjoy ourselves and have fun with like minded individuals who share our love for all things writing, especially CYOAs. At the end of the day, CYS is your home away from home. A place where you can kick back, enjoy some fantastic stories that you can immerse yourself in. Where you can post short stories and cultural references on the forums and laugh at everyone verbally abusing each other creatively. Where you can make friends (and enemies) who provide valuable writing advice to help you grow and develop as a writer. Always remember: you are a CYStian. That means you always try your best, because that's what you do when you love something!

 
If this article helps even one person later down the line, it was worth every word. I hope you enjoyed reading this just as much as I enjoyed writing it! Speaking of which....

Go forth and write!